Surcouf belonged to a French strategic setting shaped by an empire that was less maritime than Britain's and by dangerous continental frontiers. France still needed naval forces for imperial protection while devoting national attention and resources to European land threats. Earlier French innovation had repeatedly been overtaken by changes in capital-ship design, encouraging another search for an asymmetric advantage. Surcouf shows a navy trying a different approach while balancing imperial obligations against Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Notable Point · 1:03:35-1:04:52
What Surcouf says about interwar France
A radical submarine design is linked to France's effort to protect an empire while facing European land threats.